St Dominic's High School

St. Dominic's School has been at the forefront of education in Belfast since 1870 and continues to grow in strength providing first class education for girls from the Belfast and Greater Belfast area. It remains under the trusteeship of the Dominican Order.

The Dominican Family was founded by Saint Dominic of Guzman (St. Dominic de Guzmán), a Spanish priest of the Cathedral at Osma. In 1203 he began a new ministry "by accident" to which he would dedicate the rest of his life and to which he would lead many other men and women: preaching. The new order was given the title "Order of Preachers" (O.P. is the designate that you see after a Dominican's name), and their preaching was sanctioned by the Pope. The particular charge to the Dominicans was to preach against heresy.

The Dominican motto: 'Benedicere, Laudare, Praedicare' (to pray, to bless, and to preach) grew out of a basic commitment to apostolic ministry. Because human beings need to be encouraged and supported, community life is a priority for Dominicans. Members of the Dominican Family all share the same priorities: prayer, contemplation, community, study, preaching.

We are proud of our long tradition of excellence and our contribution to the communities of Belfast. Our state-of-the-art facilities, combined with our distinctive character and sense of history, enable us to deliver a curriculum which prepares our students for life in the 21st Century.

Each one of us is unique, created by a unique God, for a unique purpose.St. Dominic’s is a community committed to mutual respect where every individual is valued, respected, encouraged and empowered to reach her/his potential in an atmosphere of love, forgiveness, honesty, openness and optimism.

We are committed to celebrating difference, to promoting equality, self belief and a culture of confidence where success is celebrated.We strive to unlock our individual and collective potential and to be prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century, reflecting our strong Dominican ethos.

Our school which was established by the Dominican Sisters, Cabra in 1870 is rich in tradition and has a long and well-respected history. Since 1870, it has acted as an educational beacon, providing a first class education for young women from across Belfast and beyond. It has spread its tentacles far and wide and our past pupils have been influential in shaping many aspects of local society and indeed life beyond the confines of this island. Pupils join St. Dominic’s at age eleven and leave us at aged eighteen, grown in stature, wisdom and knowledge but of equal importance, they leave us as potential leaders, empowered to take their place in, and make their mark on society.

The education we offer in the twenty-first century, while different in many aspects to that which was offered in 1870, still bears the essence and ethos of the pioneering women who travelled from Dublin to establish the school. The education which they offered was driven by their charism which is crystallised in the school’s motto of Veritas/Truth. Today, we aim to draw out our pupils’ potential, to encourage them to identify their gifts and talents and to build on them in a spirit of truth.

Our core business is to educate young girls and prepare them for the opportunities and challenges of life. Pupils consistently achieve very highly and while that is a key priority in the school, so too is the development of character, sincerity, goodness and kindness. Our school community is values-driven and this enables our pupils to be fulfilled and to contribute to society in the widest possible sense.

Currently, over one thousand young women attend the school and their days are characterised by learning, developing self-awareness, building enduring friendships and stretching themselves to reach beyond their comfort zone. We believe that the key to success in any aspect of life is for an individual to feel cared for and to enjoy what they are doing. Pastoral care permeates all aspects of our work and we aim to make learning enjoyable. A strong sense of community enriches the school and creates a sense of family and mutual dependence.

We have 27 departments. Each department is led by a Head of Department who meets regularly with their team to discuss, amongst other things, the progress of girls, both individually and collectively, and developments in the subject.

As well as encouraging pupils to strive for their best in academic subjects, pupils are encouraged to share in the extra-curricular life of the school to further develop self-confidence, self-esteem and resilience as well as numerous personal and interpersonal skills.